Stressed-out, Self-isolated, and Hyper-connected: Teaching Today’s Learners

Today’s learners bear a stress load of which their predecessors may never have dreamed. College students in the United States have financial and economic pressure. They have the perception that academic success is the only path to career success. Additionally, today's college students have become adults in an age where electronic connection is expected. An initial study found that college students reported academics as a significant pressure and that connecting face-to-face with and belonging to a group of peers is essential. Educators need to find a different way to teach today’s learners that considers the students' academic success needs

Accessible Business Instruction (ABI): A New Model for Business Education

Students who attend college in the hopes of earning a business degree assume a financial risk. Of undergraduate students who attend college, approximately 60,000 report having a Specific Learning Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. These three conditions comprise a population known as students with learning differences. The introduction of a business instruction model that includes the best elements of traditional business education with Universal Design and LD instructional principles could improve the education for students with learning differences. The Accessible Business Instruction (ABI) model combines these best elements and promotes flexibility and innovation in classroom instructio

Excellence in Lesson Planning: The Purpose and Use of a Micro-uniting Template

For college professors, student engagement is the pinnacle of the teaching experience. The competition with external influences such as social media and internal issues such as interest in the subject being studied can cause students to disengage from classroom sessions and reduce the ability to learn the material. The use of Micro-Uniting as a classroom preparation tool is a key to improve student engagement, to maintain student focus, and to maintain both academic rigor and flexibility. An example of a Micro-United lesson plan and suggestions for use is included

Inclusive Education from the Contributions in the Virtual Forums of the Students of the Degree of Pedagogy at the University of Malaga

The study of inclusive education (IE) today has a large body of international research that provides insights into the changes and strategies needed to make it a reality. However, we are witnessing the fact that educational and social changes are happening very slowly. We must continue to engage and delve into the judgments and opinions of the individuals who will make it achievable. We conducted a descriptive, analytical, and qualitative study to analyze the contributions of students in the virtual forums of five subjects over three academic years (2019–2020, 2020–2021, 2021–2022) in the pedagogy degree program (1st and 4th year). The study aimed to gather evidence of students’ commitment, involvement, learning, and knowledge construction in the context of IE. On the one hand, we have found evidence that students’ perceptions of IE are influenced by barriers and facilitators that either enable or restrict the progress of IE. On the other hand, we also present evidence of the level of engagement, reflection, and dedication of the students who have taken part in the online forums of the courses, as well as the knowledge they have gained through their participation. We recognize virtual forums as a space for students to meet, reflect, and collaboratively construct knowledge. It is a valuable tool for gaining insight into how students develop their perceptions, opinions, and learning

Teaching At-Risk Students Using UDL: Cure or Curse?

At-risk students exist in every college classroom. The common theme among these students is that they are perceived as somehow separate from or less able to succeed than their classmates. Students in this diverse group often express the feeling of being an outsider. Engaging learners through inclusive teaching practices foster a positive emotional environment in the classroom (Cavanaugh, 2016). One way to embrace the differences among collegiate peers is the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach (CAST, 2018). The use of UDL fosters collegial success through multi-modal instruction, diverse assessment approaches, and unique learning opportunities

Aortic size predicts aortic dissection in Turner syndrome - A 25-year prospective cohort study

Background: Women with Turner syndrome (TS) have an increased risk of aortic dissection. The current recommended cutoff to prevent aortic dissection in TS is an aortic size index (ASI) of ≥2.5 cm/m2. This study estimated which aortic size had the best predictive value for the risk of aortic dissection, and whether adjusting for body size improved risk prediction. Methods: A prospective, observational study in Sweden, of women with TS, n = 400, all evaluated with echocardiography of the aorta and data on medical history for up to 25 years. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity and specificity were calculated for the absolute ascending aortic diameter (AAD), ascending ASI and TS specific z-score. Results: There were 12 patients (3%) with aortic dissection. ROC curves demonstrated that absolute AAD and TS specific z-score were superior to ascending ASI in predicting aortic dissection. The best cutoff for absolute AAD was 3.3 cm and 2.12 for the TS specific z-score, respectively, with a sensitivity of 92% for both. The ascending ASI cutoff of 2.5 cm/m2 had a sensitivity of 17% only. Subgroup analyses in women with an aortic diameter ≥ 3.3 cm could not demonstrate any association between karyotype, aortic coarctation, bicuspid aortic valve, BMI, antihypertensive medication, previous growth hormone therapy or ongoing estrogen replacement treatment and aortic dissection. All models failed to predict a dissection in a pregnant woman. Conclusions: In Turner syndrome, absolute AAD and TS-specific z-score were more reliable predictors for aortic dissection than ASI. Care should be taken before and during pregnancy

Clinical and immunological characteristics of autoimmune addison disease : A nationwide swedish multicenter study

Context: Studies of the clinical and immunological features of autoimmune Addison disease (AAD) are needed to understand the disease burden and increased mortality. Objective: To provide upgraded data on autoimmune comorbidities, replacement therapy, autoantibody profiles, and cardiovascular risk factors. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cross-sectional, population-based study that included 660 AAD patients from the Swedish Addison Registry (2008-2014). When analyzing the cardiovascular risk factors, 3594 individuals from the population-based survey in Northern Sweden, MONICA (monitoring of trends and determinants of cardiovascular disease), served as controls. Main Outcome Measures: The endpoints were the prevalence of autoimmune comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors. Autoantibodies against 13 autoantigens were determined. Results: The proportion of 21-hydroxylase autoantibody-positive patients was 83%, and 62% of patients had ≥1 associated autoimmune diseases, more frequently coexisting in females (P < 0.0001). AAD patients had a lower body mass index (P < 0.0001) and prevalence of hypertension (P = 0.027) compared with controls. Conventional hydrocortisone tablets were used by 89% of the patients, with a mean dose of 28.1 ± 8.5 mg/d. The mean hydrocortisone equivalent dose normalized to the body surface was 14.8±4.4 mg/m2/d. A greater hydrocortisone equivalent dose was associated with a greater incidence of hypertension (P = 0.046). Conclusions: Careful monitoring of AAD patients is warranted to detect associated autoimmune diseases. Contemporary Swedish AAD patients did not have an increased prevalence of overweight, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or hyperlipidemia. However, high glucocorticoid replacement doses could be a risk factor for hypertension